Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease

The symptoms of coronary heart disease vary. The two most common and well-known symptoms are angina and heart attack. In some cases, a person may have no symptoms at all.

Men and women often experience different symptoms of coronary heart disease. Men frequently complain of typical signs of angina, including pain or discomfort in the chest or shortness of breath. Women, however, don’t always experience angina in this way. Women may experience pain elsewhere in the body, aside from the chest, or they simply may be nauseous or fatigued.

Angina is one of the most common symptoms of coronary heart disease. To learn what angina is and how to recognize it, see the next page.

Coronary Heart Disease: Coronary heart disease is a serious condition that affects millions of people each year. Find out what coronary heart disease is and what you can do to lower your risk.

Angina Is a Symptom of Coronary Heart Disease

Angina is one symptom of coronary heart disease. It occurs when atherosclerosis (the build-up of plaque in the arteries) grows slowly over time, reducing the flow of blood through the arteries. If an artery narrows to 30 percent or less of its normal diameter, angina may occur.

Angina is characterized by a pain or discomfort in the chest or shortness of breath. It usually happens during times of exertion, when the heart requires more oxygen than it needs while the body is at rest. This can include exercise, but angina can also occur when you’re doing other less strenuous activities, such as climbing stairs or gardening.

Not all those suffering from threatening heart disease experience the relatively mild warning of angina, however. Sometimes the first sign of heart disease is a full-blown heart attack. See the next page to learn what happens during a heart attack.

Coronary Heart Disease: Coronary heart disease is a serious condition that affects millions of people each year. Find out what coronary heart disease is and what you can do to lower your risk.

Heart Attack Is a Symptom of Coronary Heart Disease

Heart attack is a very serious symptom of coronary heart disease. It strikes about 1.2 million Americans yearly and kills approximately 40 percent of them. Unfortunately, in some cases, a heart attack is the first sign that something is wrong in the body.

A heart attack can occur as a result of atherosclerosis (a build-up of plaque in the arteries). A simple plaque can grow into a complicated one when calcium accumulates and hardens the plaque and when blood clots develop. If the top of the fibrous plaque tears or ruptures, heavy bleeding occurs. This causes a local blood clot called a thrombus, which can obstruct the artery and cause a heart attack (also called coronary thrombosis). During a heart attack, the blood supply is cut off from a portion of the heart muscle, and that area of the heart dies. If enough of the heart is affected, or if the heart begins to beat rapidly and uncontrollably (called arrhythmia), the victim can die.

Coronary Heart Disease: Coronary heart disease is a serious condition that affects millions of people each year. Find out what coronary heart disease is and what you can do to lower your risk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Neil Stone is a professor of clinical medicine in cardiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University and a practicing internist-cardiologist-lipidologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He also serves as the Medical Director of the Vascular Center for the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Stone was a member of the first and third National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panels and a past chairman of the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee and Clinical Affairs Committee.